Fishing vessel raised after sinking in New Bedford Harbor

For the second time in five months, the same fishing vessel sprung a leak and sank in New Bedford Harbor.

BRIAN FRAGA

NEW BEDFORD — For the second time in five months, the same fishing vessel sprung a leak and sank in New Bedford Harbor.

A crane from Tucker-Roy Towing raised the Full Circle, a 40-foot quahog boat, from the waters next to State Pier around 2 p.m. after a diver had positioned straps around the hull. While sitting on the bottom, the vessel's wheelhouse was totally submerged with just its radar dome protruding above the harbor surface.

New Bedford police and fire began receiving 911 calls around 9:30 Sunday morning. But witnesses indicated that the boat might have started sinking as early as 8, said New Bedford Police Officer David Roy, a member of the Police Port Security Unit at the scene.

A witness at the scene said he had seen the vessel around 5:45 a.m. with no signs of it sinking.

Police, firefighters and representatives from the Coast Guard and the Department of Environmental Protection responded to the scene Sunday morning. Firefighters deployed a 200-foot boom around the work site to contain oil leaks but there were no signs of oil or fuel in the water. "It looks like it's just a light sheen at this point," said Mike Whiteside, an environmental engineer with the DEP.

The fuel tanks were pumped out after the last sinking on Sept. 22, police said. The vessel, which was scheduled to be sold this week, has not been out to sea for approximately six months.

On Sept. 22, the Full Circle sank in the same location when water entered via the stuffing box, which is placed around a propeller shaft and is designed to prevent water from entering the hull. Sunday's sinking remains under investigation, Roy said.

"Once we get (the boat) up, we will take a look at it and we'll get a better idea of what happened," Roy said.